Episode 567: Regular Human Shenanigans

Real Life Ben showed up with a box of magic and a handful of links, and we spiraled from there. We started off with Piecepack, the infinitely expandable system of tile-based board games. If you haven't seen it, The Infinite Board Game is a great intro — it comes with a full Piecepack set and over 50 games: 👉 The Infinite Board Game Two standouts we tried: Whirlpool Pond (Tube Wars) — hilariously chaotic and surprisingly strategic. Steven said it reminded him of playing little games at a picnic table on camping trips. 🎯 Whirlpool Pond Moto-X — a racing game with dexterity and movement rules that feel like they're half-imagined and half-remembered, which is kind of perfect. 🏍️ Moto-X Also, apparently 9-ball billiards now counts as a dexterity game when you're a parent trying to entertain your kid for 20 minutes. Then we switched gears into silly, cooperative (ish), multiplayer chaos on PC: Boomerang Fu – you're food. You throw boomerangs. You die. You laugh. boomerangfu.com Regular Human Basketball – pure absurdity, controlling giant robots one switch at a time. Regular Human Basketball Heave Ho – teamwork, trust, betrayal, and flailing limbs. heavehogame.com We also checked out the very weird, very poetic, and very compelling little book Adieu Plane Snake: ✈️ Adieu Plane Snake on Amazon Then it was time for ruffled shirts and tankards: The Central Coast Renaissance Faire is back! ccrenfaire.com We are under strict orders not to talk about Greg, which means we definitely spent time discussing: Greg's guild: The Free Men of the Brass Ring The benefits of being in a guild (tents, snacks, shade, and — let's be honest — drinks) Greg's infamous "gutpuncher" tale, which should be written down for legal reasons How to put together your own costume (hint: check this guide) Steven's costume is about 80% "rogue" and 20% "man lost in an upholstery store." It works. And finally, we played two rounds of Arcs — a stunning galactic strategy game from Leder Games: 🌌 Arcs Ben crushed the first game with pure focused ambition Devon quietly outmaneuvered us in the second game Steven tried a blitzkrieg strategy and was immediately and thoroughly punished Future or Now Quiet week on the horizon-gazing front. No robot uprisings or biotech breakthroughs... yet. Book Club This Week: There Will Come Soft Rains by Ray Bradbury The house that keeps going after the people are gone. One of Bradbury's best — eerie, poetic, and haunting. Read it here (PDF) Or here (text) Watch this reading Next Week: The Pedestrian by Ray Bradbury Another quiet apocalypse — a world where going for a walk makes you suspicious. Read it (PDF) Listen to a narrated version